I posted this post on another thread, but thought it would fit here too.

You will never find a better time to learn turkey talk and interactions of a flock. Even if you don't kill birds it will make you a better spring hunter, hands down. However, I want to make the kill too, there is no turkey as tasty as a young bird. I usually will try to find a group of what I call jake and a halfs (last spring's jakes/next springs 2 yr old's) or poults and pick a nice fat one. I never intentionally shoot an old hen, they are tough and the proven brood makers, but I'll say again the poults are fork cutting tender and yummy.

I hunt flocks and small groups. i am not into the bust them up crowd, but it will work. The problem is usually you can't get a good bust unless you do it off the roost or can sneak close. Hey if your going to sneak that close...shoot one. The best way I've found to bust them is to shoot up in the air when fairly close, but I'm too tight to waste shells. Oh yeah, never bust a flock of long beards and expect to call them back together..they don't give a shoot about seeing their buddy for hours. The biggest key is get in front!! A flock will only side track a little they will head straight to where they want to go feed, so learn that and get in their path. Lone birds or small groups will be more likely to come. If you looking for gobblers they will at times come some distance for company, but the old guys run in small groups and mostly keep their yaps shut. To kill old gobblers in the fall you hunt more like a deer stand. Get in their area and sit tight for some time. Course clucks and long course yelps are the call for them. If you hear a bird running long series of yelps it's probably a gobbler...hens and poults call more suptly most of the time. However, for the first 1/2 hour of daylight a flock will raise more rucous then you have ever heard in the woods, you'll hear attempted gobbles, kee kees and yealps all together, it's real cool. You hear a lot of purring and churping in flocks after that, but you'll hear a short series of yelps to. The young male polts will kee kee a lot and that will also get the jake and a halfs going, so one call you need to learn is the kee kee.

Oh yes, as Mark Hay said...SSSSSLLLLLLOOOOOOOOWWWWWW DDDOWWWNNN. Hunt 1/3 the pace you spring hunt and listen!!!! These two things trump all else. I can't tell you how many fall birds I have killed that I never heard call until i heard them walking/scratching in the leaves. Also they are twice as likely to answer if you get close.

I can't remember the writers name but the article was in T &TH , fall issue probably two or three years back . He listed several methods of striking birds . ONe that stands out in my mind was the KEE KEE RUN GOBBLE . Now if you haven't tried this already you might want to consider it . Especially if you will be targeting brood flocks and young birds . And if it works for you like it did for me , get ready for a good show . Those young jakes are scrappers . I did this to a flock as they fed around me . As soon as the kee kee started all their heads went high , hens and all the kids alike . There is no break in the call . It is made just like it is written . kee kee run gobble . That's a jake gobble and it don't need to be perfect . At this time in those young birds life they can't gobble very good at all . As I made the gobble all the jakes gobbled and started slapping each other and chasing around and going up in the air 10 - 12 feet and dropping back down . I took me a lot longer to type this part of my post than it did for all them to get their burst of pecking order excitement started and finished . Then they lined out and marched by my position and looked me up and down . After they got off 35 -40 yards I made the kee kee run gobble again , and don't you know they repeated their act again . It was fun and educational .

I have the good fortune of having ridges that are covered on one side with mostly cedars and the other being mostly hardwoods . Those cedars are fairly big which doesn't allow much sunlight to reach the ground , therefore much of the ground is barren except for that carpet of moss ,,,,,GOOD QUIET WALKING ,,,,, especially when the fall woods are bone dry and sneaking is impossible .
Supper's ready ,,,gotta go.

My work scheduled has changed and I will be able to hunt fall turkey again this year. Its a great time of the year to be in the woods. Took my first adult fall gobbler last year. I used a wingbone that I made from a previous gobbler to call him in. I have taken jakes and hens in the past. Should be fun. If you never have hunted fall turkey, you will find it challenging and rewarding. Much different than spring season. Good Luck to all that plan to go.